Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s iconic L’Arc de Triomphe artwork is set to be recycled

Environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans is repurposing the materials that Christo and Jeanne-Claude used to wrap Paris’s L’Arc de Triomphe in 2021.

The decision is part of the late artists’ longstanding recycling commitment, with the pair pushing for their artworks to be reused and repurposed wherever possible.

Their L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, project enveloped the 200-year-old Paris monument in 25,000 square metres of silvery fabric, tied with 7,000 metres of rope made from woven polypropylene. The original artwork was on display for just 16 days.

The thermoplastics are now set for second lives as shades and tents, according to Parley for the Oceans, and will be used at public events in Paris, including the forthcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. The materials will also serve a humanitarian purpose, reused as shelters for people experiencing extreme heat waves.

Jean-Claude passed away in 2009, followed by Christo in 2020. L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped was among the artist’s final projects.

The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation is currently collaborating with Gagosian to bring Christo’s early works to East London for an exhibition running 6-22 October 2023, curated by Elena Guena. The exhibition is being staged within the Huguenot confines of 4 Princelet Street in Spitalfields – the inaugural project in the Gagosian Open series of off-site projects – and brings together works from  the 1960s and 1970s that explore ideas around movement, migration, and preservation.

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